Tuesday, 20 September 2011

French 75

I felt quite 'Mad Men' greeting Eric with a drink when he walked in the door (to which he exclaimed "Man, I love your blog!").

My favorite cocktail of all time happens to be the French 75. Why you ask? Well, it involves gin, lemons, sugar and champagne. That ought to explain it.

There are a few different ideas about what makes a French 75. Some think it's a cognac based drink invented in France and served to allied soldiers on leave, while others argue it was invented in England and served using gin to British soldiers. Either way, it was aptly named after an artillery gun known for it's kick.

French 75

-1 oz gin

-1/2 oz lemon juice

-2 tsp. sugar

-Brut champagne

Shake the gin, lemon juice and sugar with ice in a martini shaker. Pour into a champagne flute and top with champagne. I like to add a little sugar to the rim of the glass, but that's up to you.

A word of caution: these are not for the faint of heart. I had 2 (in the name of research) and it resulted in a diatribe to Eric about what a resourceful genius I am, using a to-go mug in the place of a martini shaker.

Also, this drink can be made with vodka in the place of gin and is referred to as a French 76.